1. The EDU was so expensive that only the patricians could afford to go to school where they would learn to read and write Greek and Latin.
2. Primary School days in Ancient Rome began before sunrise and continued throughout the day until light dimmed in early evening.Boys between the age of twelve and fifteen went on to Secondary Level where they studied history, language and literature. They were either taught at home by tutors or in small groups under the control of a grammaticus.
3. The Tertiary Phase of Roman education was reserved for the upper layer of pupils. These were not unsurprisingly also the sons of powerful wealthy patrician families who had predestined them to enter a career in either law or politics.
4.A Roman child's first and most important educators were almost always his or her parents. Parents taught their children the skills necessary for living in the early republic, which included agricultural, domestic and military skills as well as the moral and civil responsibilities that would be expected from them as citizens. Roman education was carried on almost exclusively in the household under the direction of the paterfamilias. From the paterfamilias, or highest ranking male of the family, one usually learned "just enough reading, writing, and 'rithmetic to enable them to understand simple business transactions and to count, weigh, and measure.
5. It was typical for Roman children of wealthy families to receive their early education from private tutors. However, it was common for children of more humble means to be instructed in a primary school, traditionally known as a ludus litterarius. An instructor in such a school was often known as a litterator or litteratus, which was seen as a more respectable title. There was nothing stopping a litterator from setting up his own school, aside from his meager wages. There were never any established locations for a ludus litterarius. They could be found in a variety of places, anywhere from a private residence to a gymnasium, or even in the street.
6.Roman students were expected to work on their own. There was little sense of a class as a cohesive unit, exemplified by students coming and going at different times throughout the day. Young Roman students faced no formal examinations or tests. Their performance was measured through exercises that were either corrected or applauded based on performance. This created an unavoidable sense of competition amongst students.
7. Using a competitive educational system, Romans developed a form of social control that allowed elites to maintain class stability. This, along with the obvious monetary expenses, prevented the majority of Roman students from advancing to higher levels of education.
8. A final level of education was philosophical study. The study of philosophy is distinctly Greek, but was undertaken by many Roman students. To study philosophy, a student would have to go to a center of philosophy where philosophers taught, usually abroad in Greece. An understanding of a philosophical school of thought could have done much to add to Cicero's vaunted knowledge of 'that which is great', but could only be pursued by the very wealthiest of Rome's elite. Romans regarded philosophical education as distinctly Greek, and instead focused their efforts on building schools of law and rhetoric.
"Education in Ancient Roman - Crystalinks." Education in Ancient Roman - Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
"Ancient Roman Education." Ancient Roman Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
"Cradles of Education - Ancient Rome." Cradles of Education - Ancient Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
2. Primary School days in Ancient Rome began before sunrise and continued throughout the day until light dimmed in early evening.Boys between the age of twelve and fifteen went on to Secondary Level where they studied history, language and literature. They were either taught at home by tutors or in small groups under the control of a grammaticus.
3. The Tertiary Phase of Roman education was reserved for the upper layer of pupils. These were not unsurprisingly also the sons of powerful wealthy patrician families who had predestined them to enter a career in either law or politics.
4.A Roman child's first and most important educators were almost always his or her parents. Parents taught their children the skills necessary for living in the early republic, which included agricultural, domestic and military skills as well as the moral and civil responsibilities that would be expected from them as citizens. Roman education was carried on almost exclusively in the household under the direction of the paterfamilias. From the paterfamilias, or highest ranking male of the family, one usually learned "just enough reading, writing, and 'rithmetic to enable them to understand simple business transactions and to count, weigh, and measure.
5. It was typical for Roman children of wealthy families to receive their early education from private tutors. However, it was common for children of more humble means to be instructed in a primary school, traditionally known as a ludus litterarius. An instructor in such a school was often known as a litterator or litteratus, which was seen as a more respectable title. There was nothing stopping a litterator from setting up his own school, aside from his meager wages. There were never any established locations for a ludus litterarius. They could be found in a variety of places, anywhere from a private residence to a gymnasium, or even in the street.
6.Roman students were expected to work on their own. There was little sense of a class as a cohesive unit, exemplified by students coming and going at different times throughout the day. Young Roman students faced no formal examinations or tests. Their performance was measured through exercises that were either corrected or applauded based on performance. This created an unavoidable sense of competition amongst students.
7. Using a competitive educational system, Romans developed a form of social control that allowed elites to maintain class stability. This, along with the obvious monetary expenses, prevented the majority of Roman students from advancing to higher levels of education.
8. A final level of education was philosophical study. The study of philosophy is distinctly Greek, but was undertaken by many Roman students. To study philosophy, a student would have to go to a center of philosophy where philosophers taught, usually abroad in Greece. An understanding of a philosophical school of thought could have done much to add to Cicero's vaunted knowledge of 'that which is great', but could only be pursued by the very wealthiest of Rome's elite. Romans regarded philosophical education as distinctly Greek, and instead focused their efforts on building schools of law and rhetoric.
"Education in Ancient Roman - Crystalinks." Education in Ancient Roman - Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
"Ancient Roman Education." Ancient Roman Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
"Cradles of Education - Ancient Rome." Cradles of Education - Ancient Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.